Apparatus for re-forming can-bodies and uniting can ends to the same.



J. A. GRAY. A PPARATUS FOR RE-FORMING CAN BODIES AND UNIT |NG CAN'ENDS TO THE SAME.

APPLlCATlON FILED NOV. Il. l9f 5.

4 SHEET$SHET I.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 1, I919.

WITNESS 1. A. GRAY. APPARATUS FOR RE-FORMING CAN BODIES AND UNlTlNG CAN ENDS TO THE SAME.

APFLIEAHON FILED NOV. 11, 1915.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- mun" IIIIII llll gun

IIIIWIIII I 'INVENTOR.

4" 4;: ATTORNEY.

WITNESS.

J. ANGRAY.

APPARATUS FOR RE-FORMING CAN BODIES AND UNITING CAN ENDSTO THE SAME.

INVENTOR.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Patented Apr. 1,1919.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-11, I915- WITNESS. J 4V. f

'ATTORNEY.

J. A. GRAY.

APPARATUS FOR RE-FORMING CAN BODIES AND UNITING CAN ENDS TO THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED NOV H, 1915.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- Ill/ hin II I I II I |IIII1Ililllll INVENTOR. a. Q7

1.; ATTORNEY.

' WITNESS.

(Fa/W I UNITED STATES PATENT @FFFOE.

JAMES A. GRAY, OF SAN FBANCJ ZSCO, CALIFORNIApAs sICrNoR T AMERICAN CAN COMPANY,- OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR RE-FORMING CAN-BODIES AND UNITING CAN ENDS TO THE SAME.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JAMES A. GRAY, a c tizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Be- Forming Can-Bodies and Uniting Can Ends to the Same, of which the following is av specification.

The present invention relates to can making machinery, and more particularly to an organized apparatus for reformingflattened the space necessary for a cylindrical can body. .Obviously, then, the flattened can bodies must be restored to their original cylindrical form in the packing house, and the first end or bottom applied thereto,'before the usual operations of canning are proceeded with.

Heretoforeseparate machines have been used-for performing these several operations upon flattened can bodies, and consequently it has been necessary to transport the can bodies from one machine to the other by hand, or by trucks or other similar means, involvlng considerable inefliciency of labor and time. 7

It is the object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an organized apparatus for reforming a flattened can body, flanging one end thereof, and seaming an end or bottom thereon, wherein these various operations are successively performed upon a can body during its substantially continuous passage through the machine.

In order to fully comprehend the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, in'which ized reforming, fianging, and seaming machine, certain parts being shown in phantom.

Fig. 2 is a part-sectional plan view of the combined machine, taken on the irregular Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. l, 1919.

Application filed November 11, 1915. Serial No. 60,967.

line 22 of Fig. l of the drawings, showing the arrangement of the various parts andv the path of the can bodies in their progress through the machine.

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the reforming mechanism, taken in the direction of the arrows on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental vertical section along the line 44. of Fig. 2 of the drawings, taken in the direction of the arrows, showing the can body holder of the reforming mechanism, and the associated feeding devices.

F ig'. 5 is a fragmental vertical sectional View of the parts shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, taken at right angles thereto, along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 of the drawings, in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a fragmental vertical section taken in the direction of the arrows on the line 66 of Fig. 2 of the drawings, showing the flanging die, the mechanism for operating the same, and a can body in position for flanging.

F1g. 7 is a fragmental vertical section taken in the direction of the arrows on the line 77 of Fig. 2 of the drawings, showing I the seaming mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a fragmental vertical section taken in the direction of the arrows on the line 99 of Fig. 2 of the drawings, showing the means for driving the turret, cam,-

Hanging and seaming mechanism.

Fig. 11 1s a perspective view of a flattened can body, showing the condition of such can body when prepared for shipment and prior 7 to being acted on by the present apparatus.

Fig. 1.2 isa erspective view of a reformed can body to w ich has been applied the first Figure l is a side elevation of the organof a mutilated worm 14 and worm wheel 14, from a drive shaft 15 carrying a pulley 16 or other suitable means for receiving power from an outside source, not shown in the drawings. The turret 12 carries a series of spaced circumferentially disposed outwardly projecting studs 16, on which are held and freely rotatable the mandrels 17, each being formed as shown with tapered 0r conical ends 17'.

A magazine or holder 18 for a stack of horizontally disposed flattened can ends 19 is mounted upon the bed plate 11 in advance of the studs of the turret 12, and to one side of said holder is located a horizontally slidable feed slide 20, which is reciprocally operated by the lever 21 connected thereto by a link 21", the rod 22, and the eccentric 23 on the drive shaft 15, Fig. 1 of the drawings. The said slide 20 carries a projecting body opening horn 24, Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings, adapted to be inserted into a flattened can body 19 within the lower part of the magazine or holder 18 to partially open or initially spread said can body. A pusher rod is also carried by said slide 20 for engagement with the lowermost, partially opened, can body 19, to force the same onto an alincd mandrel 17.

An ironing roller 26, continuously rotated by the drive shaft 15 through bevel gears 27 and 27, a shaft 28, and spur gears 29 and 29, is carried by a yoke 30 fulcrumed upon said shaft 28, and is pressed upward into contact with a positioned mandrel 17 by the springs 31, Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the function of said roller 26 being to iron out the partly reformed can body 19, by means of frictional contact therewith, into substantially true cylindrical form. The reformed can. body is then removed from its mandrel 17 by the engagement of a radially disposed ejector arm 32, mounted upon the end of a sliding rod 33, said rod passing through the hollow turret shaft 13, and be ing slid longitudinally, to move said ejector 32 away from the turret 12, by means of a fulcrumed lever 34, connected thereto by a link 34, and a rod 35 connecting the lower end of said lever 34 with the reciprocating lever 21.

A suitably constructed frame or pillar 36,-Figs. 1, 2 and 9 of the drawings, supports the die-flanging and seaming mechanism adjacent to the reforming mechanism above described. A horizontal drive shaft 37, provided with means for receiving power from an outside source, as, for example, a belt pulley 38, isjournaled in the upper portion of said pillar 36, and drives a vertical shaft 39 within said pillar, by means of worm gear 40 thereon meshing with the worm gear 40 secured to the upper end portion of the shaft 39.

Between the reforming mechanism and the flanging and seaming mechanism is a suitably constructed horizontally disposedrunway 41,-Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, supported at one end by the frame 11, and at the other by the pillar 36, and provided with a longitudinal slot 42. An endless chain 43, provided at regular intervals with lugs or fingers 44, is carried by a sprocket 45,Fig. 1 of the drawings, and by another sprocket, not shown in the drawings, mounted upon a shaft 46, which is continuously rotated from the vertical shaft 39, as by means of bevel gears 47,Fig. 2 of the drawings, a horizontal shaft 48, sprockets 49 and 50,Fig. 1 of the drawings, and a chain 51. The upper run of the chain 43 moves from the reforming mechanism toward the flanging and seaming mechanism in the slot 42 of the runway 41, and by means of the lugs 44 slides the reformed can bodies 52 along and through the said runway. Suitable downwardly inclined guides 53 constrain the reformed can bodies 52, when ejected from the mandrels 17 by the ejector 32, to gradually turn from a horizontal into a vertical position as delivered within the runway 41, and to follow said runway to the fianging mechanism.

Mounted for rotation in a bracket 54 extending from the pillar 36 is a vertical shaft 55 carrying a horizontal turret 56Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 9 of the drawings, said shaft being intermittently rotated by the vertical shaft 39 through the gears 57 and 57 and the Geneva mechanism 5S,-Figs. 1, 9 and 10 of the drawings.

This turret 56 is formed, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, with a series of periph eral semi-circular recesses 59, adapted to engage, receive and hold the reformed can bodies 52 as they are delivered within the sphere of the rotatable turret 56 by the conveyer chain 43, and to intermittently advance said can bodies in a circular path over the table 60 within the guide-way 53 formed by the'curved wall upwardly projected from the table 60 and constituting substantially a continuation of one of the side walls of the runway 41.

A cam 61, journaled on the shaft 55 below the turret 56 is continuously rotated by gearing 62, Fig. 9 of the drawings. An eccentric groove 63,-Fig. 6 of the drawings, in the under side of this cam 61 is followed by a roller 63' on a yoke 64, which operates, through a fulcrumed lever 65, a semi-circular reciprocating clamp-jaw member 66, which advancing toward and cotiperating with one of the semi-circular recesses 59 in the turret 56 clamps a reformed can body 52 in the cylindrical opening thus formed and holds the same so clamped while a flangingv die 67 descends upon said clamped can body 52,-Fig. 6 of the drawings, and forms a flange 52 on the same.

The means for operating said die 67 are shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings as comprising a system of connected levers 68, an eccentric groove 69in the upper face of the cam 61, and a cam following roller 69 on a yoke 70 connected to said system of levers68.

A magazine or holder 71 for a stack of can ends 72 is shown as located at the position E in'Fig. 2 of the drawings. A reciprocating cut-out slide 73,Figs. 1 and 7 of the drawings, isreciprocally operated to successively cut out the lowermost can end by an eccentric groove 74: in the lower face of the cam 61, a roller 74 on a yoke 75, and a fulcrumedlever 76 connecting said yoke and said slide. The end thus out out drops down and is supported directly above a flanged end of a can body 52 by a stationary plate 77, which partly overlies the flanged end of the can body, and is moved along said plate in the same relation to the can body 52 by, engagement with a flange 59' at the top of the recess 59. in the turret 56 within which the can body 52 rests. This plate 7 7 terminates at F, Fig.2 of the drawings, after which the can end moves off the same and. rests entirely upon the flanged end 52 of the can body 52 and the flange 59 of the turret 56.

The can end 72 thus positioned is seamed onto the flanged end of the can body 52 when brought into the position G,-Fig. 2 of the drawings. At this position the can body 52 rests upon .a vertically slidable plunger 7 8, Fig. 8 of the drawings, and is thereby raised, by the engagement of theface 79 of the cam 61 with the roller 79 carried by the plunger 78, until the superposed can end 72 is engaged by a stationary chuck 80 carried by a hollow vertical chuck rod 81. Mounted upon said rod 81 is a continuously rotated sleeve 82 carrying at its upper end a gear 83 for engagement with a co-acting gear 83 on the main drive shaft 37 ,-Fig. 1 of the drawings, and at its lower end a seaming head 84,Fig. 8 of the drawings, upon which are mounted a pair of radially movable and freely rotatable seaming rolls' 85 and 85. These seaming rolls 85 and 85 are moved radially with respect to the head 84 by means of the engagement of dogs 86 and 86' with the conical portions 87 and 87 of a collar 88 feathered to and slidable on the sleeve 82, said collar being operated by a lever 89,--Fig. 1 of the drawings, having a cam roller 90 for engagement with a cam 91 on the vertical drive shaft 39,-Figs. 1 and 9 of the drawings.

Thus, after the can body 52 with its positioned end '72 has been raised by the plunger 78 and clamped-between said plunger 78 and the chuck 80, a downward movement of the slide collar 88 brings the revolving rod 92, passing through the hollow chuck rod 81, and which is moved downwardly by a cam 93 on the vertical drive-shaft 39, and a lever 94:,F.igs. 1 and 9 of the drawings. The reformed, flanged and ended can 52, resting upon the table 60, is then delivered by the movement of the turret 56- into the discharge runway 95,Fig. 2 of the drawings, and is finally pushed away from the machine through said runway to a suitable place of deposit bythe successively advancin seamed cans. f

' am well aware that changes may be made in the details of construction of the variously described working parts without creating a departure from the described invention, and I do not wish to be understood "as limiting the invention to such details, but, on the contrary, wish to be understood as claiming the invention as broadly as the state of the art will permit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. An apparatus for the described purpose, the same comprising automatically interconnected working instrumentalities for receiving a deformed unflanged can body, means engageable within said body from end to end for restoring the same to' substantially original form, means for flanging the ends of the reformed body, and mechanism associated therewith for applying and permanently securing a can cover to the flanged end of said reformed can body.

2. An apparatus for the described purpose, the same comprising means for re ceiving and holding a deformed can body, a member associated therewith for engaging means for the ironing thereof to restore the same. to substantially original form, and mechanism for receiving the reformed can body and securing an end cover thereto.

3. An apparatus for the described purpose, the same comprising means for receiv ing and holding a deformed can body, a member associated therewith for engaging with the surface of'a can body held by said means for the ironing thereof to restore the same to substantially original form, means for outwardly fianging one end of said reformed can body, and mechanism associated removed from the chuck by an ejector with the surface of a can body held by said I mechanism associated therewith for applying and permanently uniting a' can end cover to said flanged end of the reformed can body.

5. An apparatus for the described purpose, the same comprising means for receiving and holding a deformed can body, a member associated therewith for engaging with the surface of a deformed can body for the ironing thereof to restore the same to substantially original form, means for ejecting the reformed can body, devices for placing the reformed can body in a vertical position, means for outwardly flanging one end of said reformed can body, and mechanism associated therewith for applying and permanently uniting an end cover to said flanged end of the reformed can body.

6. An apparatus for the described purpose, the same comprising a means for receiving a deformed can body and restoring the same to substantially original form, means for receiving said reformed can body and fianging one end thereof, and mechanism for applying and permanently uniting an end cover to the flanged end of said reformed can body. 1

7. An apparatus for the described purpose, the same comprising means for receiving a deformed can body and restoring the same to substantially original form, means for outwardly flanging one end of said reformed can body, devices for loosely applying an end cover to the flanged end of said can body, and mechanism associated therewith for permanently uniting the can end cover to the flanged end of the said reformed can body.

8. An apparatus for the described purpose, the same comprising a mandrel, means for positioning a deformed can body thereon, a member for engaging with the surface of the positioned deformed can bOdy for the iron in thereof to restore the same to substantizfily original form, and associated instrumentalities for flanging one end of the re-' formed can body and an end cover thereto.

9. An apparatus for the described purpose,

permanently applying the same comprising a rotary mandrel for receivingand holding deformed can bodies, means for engaging the surface of a deapplying and-permanently uniting an end cover to the flanged end of the said reformed can body.

11. An apparatus for the described purpose, the same comprising a holder adapted to contain a stack of deformed can bodies, a mandrel for receiving the deformed can bodies, means for removing the deformed can bodies successively from within the holder and positioning the same onto the said mandrel, a device for engaging with the surface of the deformed can body on said mandrel for the ironing thereof to' restore the same to substantially original form, devices for ejecting the reformed can body, from said mandrel, and associated interworking instrumentalities for receiving the reformed can body and. flanging one end thereof, applying an end cover thereto and permanently uniting the applied cover to the flanged end of the said reformed can body.

12. An apparatus for the described purpose, the same comprisin a horizontally disposed rotatable mandrel for receiving deformed can bodies, mechanism associated therewith for engaging with the surface of the said can body for the ironing thereof to restore the same to substantially original form, means for ejecting the reformed can body from. said mandrel, devices for inverting the ejected can body from ahorizontal to a vertical position, and associated instrumentalities for receiving the reformedcan body for outwardly flanging an end thereof and applying and permanentlyunitingan,

end cover to the flanged end of the said reg formed can body.

13. An apparatus for the described'purpose, the same eomprisin a plurality of horizontally disposed man rels mounted for free rotary movement, means for imparting step movement to said mandrels in a vertical plane, deviees for feeding successively onto said mandrels deformed can bodies, an element for engaging with the surface of the deformed can bodies on said mandrels for the position, means for receiving the inverted reformed can bodies and outwardly flanging one end thereof, and mechanism for applying and permanently uniting an end cover to the flanged end of the said reformed can bodies.

14, An apparatus for the described purpose, the same comprising primary means for receiving deformed can bodies and ironing the surface thereof to restore the same'to substantially original form, and secondary interconnected mechanisms for receiving and outwardly flanging one end of the reformed can bodies and applying and permanently uniting an end cover to the outwardly flanged end of said reformed can bodies.

15. An apparatus for reshaping distorted unfianged can bodies preliminary to attaching ends thereto, having in combination mechanism for receiving and reshaping said can bodies, said mechanism having a series of horizontally arranged mandrels and a movable carrier for the same, ejectors for removing the reshaped can bodies over the ends of said mandrels, end applying mechanism, a carrier for delivering reformed cans to the same, and means for receiving the cans removed by said ejectors and turning them into vertical position for delivery to said end applying mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES A. GRAY.

Witnesses:

W. D. Fos'rnn, D.- F. Mn'mus. 

